By Carol Stiffler
Newberry native and 11th Circuit Court Judge Brian Rahilly is running for re-election. Voters will see his name on the ballot for this November’s general election.
Rahilly won the seat in November 2020, defeating Mackinac County’s Zackary Sylvain with an easy 70% of the vote.
In the six years since, Rahilly has presided over hundreds of cases in the counties he serves – Luce, Mackinac, Alger, and Schoolcraft. He’d spent years working as a private practice attorney – one of just two in Luce County – and took on criminal cases, divorce, family matters, and more. When former 11th Circuit Court Judge William Carmody opted not to run for a third term in 2020, Rahilly made the leap.
“Honestly, I thought I was the best candidate,” he said in an interview with the Newberry News. “Based on my experience and diversity of practice.”
Though he’d seen a lot in the courtroom as an attorney, Rahilly admits there was quite a transition working the bench.
“It’s a much slower pace,” he said. “It was definitely an adjustment, and it’s still an adjustment.”
But it gave him an opportunity to do one of his favorite things – learn. Rahilly lights up when talking about law.
“I love the law,” he said. “It’s unpredictable. It reflects society, it reflects our history, and it’s intellectually stimulating. The best thing about being a judge is that I become much smarter in the law. I’m researching and studying things that I never did as a private practice attorney.”
It was like law school, he said, when everything was new.
During his tenure as 11th Circuit Court judge, Rahilly tried to improve efficiency in the local court system. Visitors to the Luce County Courthouse – whether they’re seeking 92nd District Court, Probate Court, or 11th Circuit Court – now check in at the magistrate’s office and receive direction from there. A new Navigator kiosk (see related article) will soon be delivered and will help people prepare legal documents when they don’t have attorney representation.
Rahilly has also taken on the bulk of work in Family Court following the resignation of 6th District Probate Judge Clayton Graham – who served in Luce and Mackinac counties – in April 2026.
That resignation came after an investigation into an hit-and-run accident that Judge Graham was allegedly involved in. During that investigation, Graham’s cell phone was searched. Thousands of messages between Rahilly and Graham were published by Alger County Prosecutor Robert Steinhoff, who subsequently announced his bid for Rahilly’s seat.
Those messages caused quite a stir. Steinhoff called them hostile and concerning. Rahilly went on voluntary leave for a short number of weeks after. Mackinac County decided Rahilly should not try criminal cases there any longer, though he still presided over civil situations, like divorce and family court. Alger County briefly suspended Rahilly, but he soon returned to the bench.
Rahilly is pragmatic about all of it.
“They were private messages. They were never meant to be read by anyone else,” he said. “Many of them are venting. Many of them are sarcastic and attempting to be making jokes. Some of them, they’re unprofessional. I don’t hide from that. They were unprofessional. But anything I said privately has never affected the way I do my job, ever.”
While Rahilly questions the legality of how private text messages were accessed, he doesn’t complain. His focus is still intent on the law.
He’s also a family man. Rahilly and his wife, Jessica, have a daughter named Reagan who is a dedicated dance enthusiast. The family traveled to Sault Ste. Marie for Reagan’s dance lessons before Peninsula Pointe Dance Studio opened in Newberry.
“She’s the best part of me,” Rahilly said about his daughter. “She’s fantastic.”
Jessica Rahilly works in the administration office at Tahquamenon Area Schools and is very active with Yooper Youth community events. Having a judge in the family forced a modification in their social lives, but they stay busy and involved.
Come November, if Rahilly isn’t re-elected, he will move right back into private practice and will carry on.
“The law is my life. I can do it in many forms whether it’s being a judge or being a private practice attorney or whatever else is out there,” he said. “Quite frankly, if I do become a private practice attorney again, I’d be much better at it because of what I’ve seen.”
